After the recent rewatching of the show (remember I hadn't seen it in about 7 years) I flipped my views a lot on the characters.

Note: These views have no reflection of how I feel about the show, I think MSCL was/is one of the best shows on TV, ever. The flaws I find with the characters are what make them real to me.

Past view on the characters:
I really use to sympathize with Brian a lot. I never liked Jordan much, and all in all I thought it was fairly unbelievable that Angela would get her 'dream' guy. And I always thought Brian got the short end of the stick.

Recent view:
On my most recent going through of the eps. I came to realize that all the characters are pretty bad people (not that they necessarily mean to be), or at the very least tweaked slightly. Which of course adds to the realism of the show, show me a HS kid who isn't somewhat heartless. Jordan is completely non-committal, and still IMO not a good guy (his reasons for being non-commital are not important for this discussion). Angela definitely has her problems too. She is completely overbearing on the whole Jordan issue. She is always talking about their "relationship" when there is. in all actuality, none to be seen. Kissing someone does not equate a relationship. She is obviously living in a fantasy world most of the time. Brian, though still getting the short end of the stick, is probably one of the meanest characters in the show. I don't know why I always felt sympathy for him. I know I (as probably all guys here do) understand the torment of that one girl that is so close, yet so unattainable. And I probably initially just over-empathized with his character. But the way he treats Delia, and Angela at times, is just completely unacceptable. I can understand where his "anger" comes from, though I don't understand how he can find reasoning behind some of his choices.

Maybe I am being too harsh on the characters, but this was an honest interpretation after my rewatching of the show. I will in the very near future probably do a full rewatching of the series (probably skipping the Halloween and X-mas eps., I really do not care for them), maybe I will then change my views again.

i somewhat agree w/ you about brian and him being mean towards delia and sometimes towards angela, but i still feel sympathy for him. i feel that almost every character on the show treated him very badly...especially angela. their comments towards brian almost on every episode were very harsh and i wish that in 'life of brian' it would have showed brian hurt by the comments that most characters make towards him..i mean yeah, there was the part where angela hurts him by calling him 'heartless' but i think she is too in many ways...it would've been cool if that had elaborated on how brian felt when she said that. devon gummersal makes his character seem hurt by certain comments, but he just brushes it off like he's actually is the things that they call him, and brian isn't..he's a smart human being..just because he's 'nerdy' doesn't mean he isn't like any of the other 'cool' characters..

that's why i love this show soo much. it truly tells what high school is like for every type of person.

Anonymous wrote:devon gummersal makes his character seem hurt by certain comments, but he just brushes it off like he's actually is the things that they call him, and brian isn't..he's a smart human being..just because he's 'nerdy' doesn't mean he isn't like any of the other 'cool' characters..

Yeah but that is what makes his acting of that character so good. Brian does, IMO, really believe he is those things. He may try to contradict that at times, but deep down he believes those things.

Anonymous wrote:that's why i love this show soo much. it truly tells what high school is like for every type of person.

Exactly, I totally agree. That is why this show is one of the most realistic portrayals of HS. Maybe not on the Jordan/Angela front, but otherwise yeah.

I think that one of the great things about this show is its honest portrayal of teenagers, and quite honestly, their actions are all motivated by selfish reasons. How often do any of the characters do something just to be nice? Well, besides Rayanne taking Sharon to the hospital

Angela agrees to "help" Brian with their extra credit bio project for a chance to see Jordan, Rickie tells Rayanne that he doesn't care about her "stupid drinking problem" when faced with the prospect of going to the dance with Corey, I mean, I could go on and on. This is NOT to say that any of them are evil to the core, but egocentricism is a mark of immaturity, and come on, they're in high school - they're supposed to be immature!

Instead of stereotyping each character, the writers show each person as flawed but real (see why we love them?). On other shows, I sometimes find myself thinking, "WHY is she doing that?" because I really don't understand what the character (or, more accurately, the writers) are thinking. Not to sound all Drama 101, but "what's the motivation?"

With MSCL, I didn't wonder because I understood. I see Rayanne trying to escape her pain, I see Rickie trying to fit in, I see Angela yearning for someone that doesn't notice her - and I understand why they do what they do.

Natasha aka candygirl :: MSCL.com

Look, if this is weird for you, being tutored? I don't mind helping you a little longer. You could have sex with me if you really want to help...I guess that's a "no"?